Djokovic out of French Open
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Murray and Nadal safely through
French Open second favourite Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the competition at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday, a result Coral traders believe hands the title to hot-favourite Rafael Nadal.
The out of form 30-year-old Serb, who hasn’t been seen anywhere near his best for almost a year now, suffered his latest disappointment when going down in straight sets to Dominic Thiem, despite going into the day as odds-on favourite to progress. Last year’s champion was beaten 7-6, 6-3, 6-0, with the final set summing up the player’s mood at present.
Agassi calls loss inexplicable
New coach Andre Agassi didn’t seem too impressed either, speaking to the press at the conclusion of the match the American questioned his student’s desire, calling the final set loss inexplicable. For as poor as Novak Djokovic was on the day, there was no denying Thiem deserved his place in the semis, and he now faces Rafael Nadal on Friday.
The young Austrian’s challenge is expected to go no further, with Coral’s traders marking him up as a 10/3 no hoper to win the match, or a chunky 8/1 outsider to go all the way. Bitterly disappointed at relinquishing his gong, Djok told fans it was a new situation for him, not winning a major tournament for eight or nine months, but reminded us all top players go through spells of poor form.
Nadal nailed on for number 10
There was no wobble from Rafael Nadal, who proved himself a worthy favourite by beating fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, who withdrew when 6-2, 2-0 down. Blaming an abdominal injury for the earlier than expected end, it was disappointing for fans, but the writing had been on the wall for the beaten man almost before the match had started.
Rafa, a record breaker in this part of the world, already has nine French Open titles to his name, and was tipped by our traders long before the competition started. Going in an odds-on shot to reach double figures, the 31-year-old is now no better than 2/5 to complete the job, with Andy Murray rated as the main danger. Rafa is 1/4 to beat Thiem in the final four, or 6/5 with us to win 3-0 in the set betting market.
Murray remains a nice price
Andy Murray, our antepost pick to lift the title, booked his place in the semis by beating Kei Nishikori in a four-set thriller. It’s the fourth time in-a-row the fiery Scot has reached this stage of the competition, but the outright win continues to elude him.
The world number one’s year has been ravaged by injury so far, and there have been plenty of hairy moments along the way in Paris too, not least losing the first set against Nishikori in midweek. He fought back to claim a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-1 win however, and although he’ll be grateful to see the back of that one, the result would’ve further boosted confidence in the ranks.
Tipped by us at a big price to finally get over the line in the French Open, he has now been cut to 6/1 to finish on top. Still plenty of reason to get involved, even at this late stage.
